Jake Nind, Kyle Yager, Phil Dalli top run-scoring charts across North Coast cricket leagues
More than 500 players have walked out to the crease with bat in hand this season and we’ve sorted the stats to see who is the best batsman on the North Coast. See the rankings.
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There is nothing better than watching the top sloggers on the North Coast smash bowlers around for fun on a Saturday afternoon.
The numbers have been crunched to revealed who does it best.
More than 500 batsman have taken to the field for in the Coastal League, LJ Hooker League and Mid-North Coast cricket competitions.
The top batters are set to show why they are king of the hill as semi-finals get under way for the 2021/22 season.
Lennox Head, Cudgen and Tintenbar-East Ballina all have players in the top five of the rankings.
Caleb Ziebell
Caleb Ziebell scored 383 runs in just seven innings with almost half of his season total coming in one match; 183 against Pottsville in round one of the LJ Hooker League.
The all-rounder says he has more to give come finals time.
“I’ve had a few big scores but I’m hoping I can do more than what I’ve done so far,” he said.
“We’ve got semis coming this week so hopefully I can whack a few big ones.”
Ziebell doesn’t talk like the fourth highest run-scorer on the North Coast but that’s exactly what makes him one of the top batsman.
He’ll be up against Tintenbar-East Ballina in the semi-final on March 19, a side he smashed 115 runs against in round eight.
Jake Nind
Jake Nind from Lennox Head tops the charts with 494 runs from 10 innings this season hitting an incredible 64 boundaries in that time.
Nind loves a slog and hasn’t shied away from taking on bowlers who pitch a little too wide.
Despite his incredible knocks this season he still hasn’t managed to pull off a century with a 90 being his highest score, although he would be happy with five half-centuries and a finals berth.
The opening batsman has blown teams away but Byron Bay managed to dismiss him for eight runs earlier in the season.
He is only 17 runs away from overtaking former Cudgen batsman Ryan Lahrs’ 510 runs in the 2018/19 Coastal League season.
Kyle Yager
In Alstonville, captain and wicketkeeper Kyle Yager has missed out on the finals but scored 445 runs in nine games.
Yager started the campaign off strongly with 232 runs scored in his first three games however the captain went through a lull in mid-season scoring just 63 in his next four.
He brought his form back to life in round 10, staying at the crease for a score of 101 against Casino RSM Cavaliers
Yager has even chipped in with the ball as well taking five wickets in 12.2 overs in 2021/22.
Phil Dalli
Phil Dalli’s performances for Tintenbar-East Ballina have earned him third spot in the region-wide rankings.
Dalli has netted 395 runs in just seven innings, spending the second least amount of time at the crease out of any player in the top five.
In four hours and 12 minutes of batting Dalli has only hit 16 boundaries making him one of the hardest working batters on the North Coast.
He has had to do a lot of running to get to where he is, but for him it is all worth it.
“Cricket is a good distraction,” he said.
“Cricket’s not the most important thing at the moment but it could provide some good feelings for people, I love playing.”
First grade semi-finals March 19
Coastal League
Byron Bay v Cudgen
Time: 1.00pm
Ground: Cavanbah Sports Complex
Lennox Head v Tintenbar-East Ballina
Time: 1.00pm
Ground: Megan Crescent
LJ Hooker League
Cudgen v Tintenbar-East Ballina
Time: 1.00pm
Ground: Reg Dalton Oval
Goonellabah Workers Sports v Lennox Head
Time: 1.00pm
Ground: Rabjones Oval
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Originally published as Jake Nind, Kyle Yager, Phil Dalli top run-scoring charts across North Coast cricket leagues
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